Family
by Tess84
Summary: One of the sequels to 'Kiss of blood'. You might want to read that one first. Don't own anything. As always, reviews are appreciated!
1. 1 Daddy's home

**1 Daddy's home**

"Dawn, you gonna get that?" Buffy called after the second ring of the doorbell. Not getting an answer, she sighed and pushed herself up from the chair she had been sitting on, groaning a little when the familiar pain shot through her back. It had been getting worse in the past couple of weeks, and she was still only seven months pregnant. _Just two more months to go_, Buffy thought to herself as she walked through the house. _You've made it this far, you can do it_.

As she walked up to the front door, she heard the sound of Dawn's music from upstairs. The doorbell sounded one more time, and Buffy reached for the doorknob.

"Alright, I'm coming."

xxxxx

Spike absentmindedly ran a hand through his hair while he tried to summon up the courage to ring the doorbell. He wasn't sure how long he had been gone, it could have been weeks, could have been years, and he didn't know what to expect from the woman inside the house. Especially not after what happened the last time he saw her...

He pushed the thought aside and pressed the button for the doorbell before he could change his mind. He needed to at least let her know he was back, even if he didn't know if he would stay or not. And, yes, even if he was met by a stake. After all, he deserved it.

He rang the doorbell again, knowing someone was home. He heard a voice, her voice, from somewhere inside and drew a sharp, unneeded breath. Here goes. But there was still no answer. He pressed the button again, and heard an annoyed 'Alright, I'm coming' from the other side of the door before it opened to reveal her.

"Oh, God." She whispered, a hand coming up to cover her mouth. Spike kept his eyes on Buffy's face, where the expression went from shock, to relief, to... happiness? He barely had time to react before he had a crying Slayer pressed against him.

"Where have you been? I thought you were... you weren't there when I, and I thought..."

"Shh, it's OK." Spike cautiously brought a hand up to caress her hair, and she buried her face against his neck. Spike used his other hand to hold her close to him, while he kept stroking her hair in a soothing motion. God, it felt good to have her this close. He listened to her heart beat as it slowed a little when she calmed down. As he did, he realized there was another sound that didn't use to be there...

Before Spike had time to figure out what the unfamiliar sound was, Buffy pulled back. She leaned against the door frame and he knew what he had been hearing. A baby's heart beat. She was pregnant. How could he have missed that? He took a step back, trying to grasp the situation. He shouldn't have come back...

"I... I didn't... I shouldn't have come back..." Buffy could see pain in his eyes before he turned and ran from the house, ignoring her calls.

"Spike! Spike, please don't..." But he was already gone.

xxxxx

"Who was that at the door?" Dawn asked as she came down the stairs. She realised something was wrong when she saw Buffy on the couch, crying. She hurried to her sister's side and put a supportive arm around Buffy's shoulder.

"What happened? Is something wrong?" Buffy leaned her head against Dawn's shoulder, sobs ripping through her body. "Buffy please say something, you're scaring me!" Dawn's voice was slightly hysterical now, and Buffy managed to pull herself together.

"It was Spike... he was here, but he... left, I don't know what to do, he just..."

"It's gonna be OK, Buffy." Dawn tried to comfort her sister, inwardly screaming at Spike for being such an asshole. How could he?

At that moment, Willow and Tara came through the door.

"What's going on?" Willow asked as she made her way to sit next to Buffy, Tara sitting down on the table opposite her. Dawn looked up at Willow, anger visible in her eyes.

"Spike was here, and he took off." Dawn gave Buffy's shoulder a final squeeze before getting up. "Can you guys stay with her?" She asked Willow an Tara, who nodded. "Good. I've got some vampire hunting to do."

Dawn was out the door before either of them had time to react.

"Buffy, sweetie, you wanna tell us what happened?" Tara asked, handing Buffy a couple of tissues. Buffy dried her eyes and nodded.

"I answered the door, and there he was. Just like that." Buffy gave her friends a little smile.

"What did he say when you told him about the baby?" Willow asked. "He just left?" Buffy shook her head.

"I didn't tell him." She said.

"You didn't tell him?" Tara asked. "He doesn't know?"

"Well, if he doesn't, he's pretty stupid." Buffy managed to joke. "I mean, look at me."

"Oh." Willow said.

"Anyway, that's when he took off. Said that he shouldn't have come back, and left." Buffy felt tears in her eyes again, and angrily wiped at them. "After all, why would he want to stay?"

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure he'll be back." Tara tried to reassure. "He just needs some time, that's all. I mean, this must be pretty overwhelming for him."

"Especially since he doesn't know the baby is his." Willow said, causing the two other women to give her confused looks. "I mean, he's a vampire. I'm pretty sure he didn't know the effect the kiss of blood would have, so for all he knows, vampires can't... you know."

"He thinks I... but how could he think that? I mean, we were..." Buffy cut herself off, realizing what Willow meant.

"You were just sleeping together. You told him yourself a number of times that what you had together wasn't a relationship. He must think you were with someone else at the same time." Willow concluded.

"That stupid, stubborn vampire!" Buffy got up and started pacing the room. "He can't stick around for an explanation, nooo, he has to jump to the worst possible conclusion and take off. God, sometimes he just makes me so mad."

"Buffy, honey, maybe you should sit down? You're getting worked up, and it's not good for the baby." Willow said, but Buffy didn't come back to the couch. Instead, she headed for the door.

"I have to find him, talk to him, explain." She grabbed her jacket and opened the door, but Tara put a hand on her shoulder. Buffy turned to face her.

"Dawn is already out looking for him." Tara said, and Buffy relaxed a little. "You need to keep your focus on the baby, OK?" Buffy nodded and followed Tara back to the couch.

"Besides." Willow chipped in. "Dawn is bound to give him an earful."

xxxxx

The walk to the cemetery hadn't done anything to calm Dawn down. If anything, it had made her more worked up, to the point where she was practically fuming. As she got closer to the crypt, she saw a light inside and hoped it was Spike, and not Clem.

Throwing the door open, she got her answer.

"What the bloody hell d'you think you're doing?" Came Spike's voice from downstairs. "This is my place, you can't just come..." He came through the whole in the floor, and spotted Dawn. "Oh, it's you."

"Damn right it's me!" Dawn yelled, taking a couple of steps into the room. Spike went over to the fridge where he found a jar of blood. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Getting myself something to eat." Spike replied and took a mouthful of the blood. "What's it look like?"

"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it!" Dawn took the jar from Spike and threw it across the room, breaking it against the wall.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?" Spike asked, getting annoyed.

"That was for being a pig-headed jerk." Dawn replied before she slapped him across the face. "And that was for walking out on my sister – AGAIN!"

"She doesn't need me there." Spike said, rubbing his left cheek. Damn, the girl could hit. "She's got what she wanted, a normal life and whatnot." Spike sat down in the armchair.

"A normal life? A NORMAL LIFE?" Dawn almost yelled. "There's nothing normal about it. She's the Slayer, for Christ's sake. Her sister's an ancient key, and her friends are witches and thousand-year-old ex-demons. And now, to top it all of, she's having a baby by a vampire. Last time I checked, that's not normal."

"I know she's the Slayer and all that stuff, but now she can at least..." Spike cut himself off as Dawn's words began to sink in. "What did you just say?"

"I said that she's far from normal. Slayer, witches, demons and stuff." Dawn replied.

"Not that. About the... baby." Spike said, his eyes wide with confusion.

"You didn't..." Dawn realised he didn't know, and all the anger she had felt disappeared. "You two didn't talk about it?" She asked and Spike shook his head.

"I... I realised I shouldn't have come back, that she had moved on with her life. I should have just... stayed away. So I left. Didn't give her a chance to say anything, I suppose."

"Spike, no." Dawn saw the pain in the vampire's eyes, and crouched down on the floor in front of the chair, forcing him to look at her. "These past four months have been horrible. Buffy was devastated when she realised you were gone, and then with the baby... it's been pretty weird around here."

"I've been gone four months?" Spike asked and Dawn nodded.

"You don't remember?" She asked, seeing the confused look on Spike's face.

"No, it's all pretty blurry. I remember leaving Sunnydale and going to Africa..." Dawn cut him off.

"What were you doing in Africa?" She asked.

"Went to see a demon that could help me get the chip out." Dawn took a step backwards at his words, and he quickly continued. "At least, that's what I thought I wanted. I went through some trials, and then the demon gave me what I had been asking for. My soul. After that, I was pretty disoriented."

"You... you got your soul back?" Dawn asked. "But that's great!" She jumped up and dragged Spike out of the chair. "You're coming back to the house with me right now."

Spike stood up, but Dawn noticed he hesitated.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Are you sure she's gonna want me there? After..." Spike couldn't meet Dawn's eyes, and she knew what he was talking about.

"Spike, she forgave you a long time ago. So did the rest of us." Spike looked up at her, one eyebrow raised. "OK, maybe not Xander, but he'll come around. In the end he just wants what's best for Buffy and the baby. He just has to realise that that's you. And as for Buffy not wanting you there... she was looking all over for you after you left. She had Tara do a locator spell, but, you know, vampire, so that didn't work." Dawn expression softened. "I've listened to her crying herself to sleep for the past four months. So please, don't even question if she wants you there."

"OK, OK, I'll go back with you." Spike said. "But... you're sure? About the baby, I mean." Dawn smiled and nodded. "But... how? I mean, vampire here!"

"Buffy haven't really explained it, but I'm guessing there was a little more to it than... you know, the natural way." Spike blushed at Dawn's words and she giggled. "Oh, come on, I'm fifteen, I know about this stuff."

"Doesn't mean I wanna hear about it." Spike replied.

"Fine, I won't mention it again. Now will you come with me? Buffy's probably freaking out big time by now." Dawn moved towards the door, and Spike followed her.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming."

xxxxx

Willow and Tara were alone in the living room when Dawn an Spike came back, they had managed to get Buffy to go lie down. They both looked up as the door opened, and a flash of relief crossed both of their faces as they saw Spike with Dawn.

"You found him." Willow said, sighing. "Thank Goddess. I don't think we could have kept her from going out herself if you two didn't show up soon."

"Where is she?" Dawn asked, looking around the room.

"We got her to go upstairs to rest a little." Tara said. "She was pretty upset."

"It's my fault." Spike spoke for the first time.

"No, it's not." Willow said. "Well, I mean, it kinda is, but you didn't know."

"You knew he didn't know?" Dawn asked and Tara nodded.

"We figured it out when Buffy said he left after finding out about the baby." She said.

"Oh. Why didn't I think of that?" Dawn frowned.

"It's OK, Niblet." Spike said. "I think I needed to hear it."

"Told you she'd give him an earful." Willow said to Tara and they both giggled a little. When Tara saw the uncomfortable look on Spike's face, she smiled at him.

"Why don't you go talk to her? You two have some... catching up to do."

"Yeah... is she?" Spike motioned to the stairs.

"She's in our old room." Willow said. "We got an apartment near campus, so we made Buffy's bedroom into the nursery and she took our room."

"OK, I'll just..." He still hesitated.

"Just go, already!"

xxxxx

Spike hesitantly walked up the stairs, listening to the two heart beats he could hear from the bedroom. He stopped for a moment outside the open door to Buffy's old bedroom and looked in. The room had been painted in a soft yellow color, and was furnished with a crib, a changing table, a dresser, bookcase and a rocking chair in the same style. There were stuffed animals in various places around the room, and a mobile was hanging above the crib.

Spike continued to the door to Buffy's bedroom and stopped for a moment. The door was slightly ajar, and he looked in through the opening. The light was out and Buffy was lying on the bed, a blanket over her. She looked... peaceful. He didn't think he had ever seen her peaceful before.

He opened the door carefully, not wanting to wake her, and walked in. He kneeled beside the bed, and looked at the sleeping woman. The woman of his dreams, the woman he had loved since before he even knew it. The woman he had hurt in a way he didn't want to think about.

"Hey, I'm back." He whispered and brushed a stray strand of her hair away from her face. "I'm sorry I took off like that, I was just... I don't know. I should have let you say what you were trying to say without jumping to conclusions, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He sat quietly for a little while, staring into space as he kept stroking Buffy's hair without thinking about it.

"You came back." Spike looked at Buffy, who looked back at him.

"You're awake." He smiled at her and saw tears forming in her eyes. "Hey, don't cry." He wiped the first tear away with his thumb before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in close.

"I didn't think I would see you again." She mumbled against his shoulder.

"I'm back now. I'm not leaving again."


	2. 2 Explanations

**2 Explanations**

"So, you wanna tell me how this all happened?" Spike asked. He was lying in Buffy's bed and Buffy had draped herself half on top of him in an attempt to get comfortable. Spike was rubbing small circles on her lower back, where she had been complaining about pain.

They had been lying like this for a couple of hours now since Spike came to talk to Buffy. So far, he had done most of the talking, telling her about what he had been doing since he left four months earlier, about his trip to Africa and the newly acquired soul. She had yet to explain the pregnancy.

"Have you heard about the Kiss of Blood?" Buffy asked, twisting her head so she was able to look at Spike.

"Sure, a vampire thing. Why?" Spike frowned. How did she know about that?

"Well, it seems it has a slightly different effect on humans." Buffy said, indicating her stomach.

"You're serious?" Spike asked and Buffy nodded. "I had no idea."

"I know. Tara only found out because she had been reading some old Watcher's journal." Buffy said.

"This had happened before?" Spike asked.

"Apparently. A girl in Spain in fourteen-something said she had gotten pregnant by a vampire after they had shared the kiss." Buffy revealed. "Giles researched it further, and it seems that wasn't the only time, even if it hasn't happened a lot."

"So, we're really going to have a baby?" Buffy heard the amazement in Spike's voice and giggled.

"I know, it takes some getting used to, doesn't it?" She said.

"When I came back, I was prepared to get staked." Spike confessed. "After what I did..." Buffy hushed him.

"Don't. It's in the past. We both did things... we regret." Buffy said. "For example, I regret never telling you that I love you."

"What did you say?" Spike asked, eyes wide.

"I said that I love you." She repeated. "I think I have for a while, but I didn't realise it until that night... and when I went to talk to you, you were gone."

"I'm sorry. For everything. For what happened and for leaving..." Buffy cut him off with a kiss.

"It's OK." She said as she pulled back. "You're here now, that's all that matters." Buffy returned to the position she had been lying in earlier, leaning her cheek against Spike's chest. She sighed in contentment. They lay in silence for a while before Spike spoke again.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" He asked and Buffy shook her head.

"No, I don't want to know yet." Buffy laughed. "The guys have been on me for the past two months to find out, but I want it to be a surprise. Oh, I have a couple of pictures." Buffy got up off the bed and went over to her desk where she opened the top drawer. She pulled out a couple of pictures and came back to the bed.

"This one is the last one, from a week ago." She handed Spike a black and white photo. "And this one's from last month." She handed him another photo.

Spike looked at the pictures, the photos of his child. His child. He wasn't supposed to have that. He was a vampire, he didn't deserve it.

"Hey, you still there?" He heard Buffy ask and snapped back to reality.

"Sorry, just got a little emotional for a while." Spike replied.

"William the Bloody, emotional." Buffy laughed. "If someone had told me this six years ago, I would have laughed in their face." Spike laughed too.

"Right there with you." He got serious again and looked at the pictures. "Is everything OK? With the baby, I mean. It's healthy and stuff?"

"Everything's fine. The doctor says that everything's normal." Buffy replied.

"And it's..."

"Human?" Buffy interjected and Spike nodded. "Yeah. Heartbeat and everything. It's so amazing, hearing the sound. You have to come with me to my next appointment tomorrow."

"I'd like that. As long as it's at night." Spike joked.

"I think that can be arranged."

xxxxx

Buffy took a deep breath before knocking on Xander's door. She remembered the last time she had been in this position, four months earlier when Xander had found out about her relationship with Spike. Their friendship had survived that, but could it survive this?

"Hey, Buff, what you doing here?" Buffy was pulled out of her thoughts by Xander's voice.

"What, I can't come see one of my best friends without a reason?" Buffy walked past Xander and into the apartment.

"Now, it's not that, I just figured you'd be home cuddling up to Captain Peroxide." Xander said.

"You know he's back?" Buffy asked.

"Willow told me." Xander explained. "She just wanted to warn me so I wouldn't go and mess it up again, like last time." He gave Buffy an honest smile. "I'm OK with it, really. I mean, I'll never be a member of the Spike fan club, but I realize that you love him, and that he loves you. That's all I need to know. Plus he's got that shiny new soul." At Buffy's questioning expression, he continued. "Dawn told Willow, who told me."

"Thank you." Buffy gave Xander a hug, and he returned it. "Thank you so much for being supportive. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been."

"You'll never have to find out." Xander said as they pulled apart. "Besides, no more late night shopping sprees for the Xan-Man!"

xxxxx

"Buffy Summers." The nurse called and Buffy stood up, taking Spike's hand in a firm grip.

"Come on." She said, heading towards the examination room.

"Buffy, hi. How is everything?" Doctor Harrison greeted. Spotting Spike, she continued. "And who is this?"

"Doctor Harrison, this is Spike, my boyfriend." Spike's confidence swelled a little when hearing her referring to him as her boyfriend.

"How nice to finally meet you." Doctor Harrison offered Spike her hand, and he shook it, not missing her emphasis on the word 'finally'.

"It's nice to meet you too, Buffy has talked a lot about you. Unfortunately, I have been out of the country for the past four months." At least it wasn't a complete lie.

"Of course." The doctor smiled. "Buffy, why don't you lie down and I'll get everything ready."

Buffy took her place and the doctor brought the ultra sound machine over.

"This'll be a little cold, like always." Doctor Harrison said before spreading the gel on Buffy's stomach. "This way we can see the baby and listen to the heart beats to make sure everything is going as planned." She explained to Spike, who nodded. Doctor Harrison turned the monitor on and the heart beat was heard.

"Is that?" Spike asked, and Buffy nodded.

"That's the heart beat." Doctor Harrison said. "It sounds healthy, and everything else seems fine too. Here's the head." She indicated on the monitor. "And the body, arms and feet." She shot a look at Buffy. "I take it you still don't want to know the sex?"

"No." Buffy shook her head.

"We want it to be a surprise." Spike said and squeezed Buffy's hand.

"So, how are your friends' class going?" The doctor asked.

"It's going great." Buffy replied. "Willow says that they'll be certified midwifes in a couple of weeks."

"What're they doing that for?" Spike asked.

"Buffy hasn't told you?" Doctor Harrison asked, and Spike shook his head. "Buffy has decided to have a home birth, and Willow and Tara will be midwifes, helping her."

"Oh." Spike said. "Is that safe?"

"It's perfectly safe." Doctor Harrison smiled. "Women do it all the time, and I will be only a phone call away if anything goes wrong. And you've finished your lamaze class, right?"

"Yeah, the last class was a couple of days ago." Buffy replied.

"What's lamaze?" Spike asked a little confused.

"It's a breathing technique that helps with the labour." The doctor replied. "I always recommend that the parents attend it, and it's even more important in cases of home births."

"OK."

"I have a couple of pamphlets you can look at." Doctor Harrison said. "It'll teach you the basics, so you can help Buffy with her breathing."

"Thanks, I'd appreciate that." Spike said sincerely.

"No problem." The doctor smiled. "It's good to know she has someone who's there for her."

xxxxx

"Buffy, you home?" Spike called as he closed the front door behind him.

"In here." He heard from the kitchen and followed the sound, finding Buffy and Dawn at the kitchen table with a book.

"What're you two up to?" He asked suspiciously.

"Just looking at names." Dawn replied, not taking her eyes from the book. "I like Abigail if it's a girl and Aidan if it's a boy."

"Oh, you do, huh?" Spike asked, sitting down next to Buffy so he could see the book too. "How 'bout you, pet?" He asked.

"I don't know. I kinda like Emma for a girl. And if it's a boy, William." She smiled at the expression on Spike's face.

"Really?" He asked, and she nodded.

"Really. I've thought about it before, and it's what I want. If it's a boy, that is. If that's OK with you, of course." She said.

"Of course it's OK. I would love it." Spike replied and placed a kiss on top of Buffy's head.

"Aw, you guys are just so cute." Dawn said, earning a look of death from Spike.

"You two distracted me, I almost forgot the news." Spike said. "I got a job."

"Really?" Buffy asked in astonishment and Spike nodded. "Where?"

"Willie's." At Buffy's facial expression, he continued. "I know, not the best place. But Willie knows about my... condition, and he'll let me work nights, seeing as I can't go out during the day. There's also the whole thing about a social security number, which I don't have. At least it's money."

"I think it's great." Buffy said. "I was just a little surprised, that's all."

"I'm starting after the baby's born, I don't want to leave you before." He said, and Dawn smiled at the concern for her sister that was so obvious in Spike's voice.


	3. 3 Questions

**3 Questions**

"Hey, Red, got a minute?" Spike asked.

Willow turned towards the sound and spotted the vampire under a tree a few feet away. She had just gotten out of her night class, and was surprised to find Spike waiting for her outside the building.

"Hey, Spike, what're you doing here?" Willow expression turned serious. "Is something wrong? Is it Buffy?" Spike hurried to shake his head to calm the red head.

"No, everything's fine." He motioned towards the side walk and they started walking. "I've just been thinking 'bout something lately, something you might be able to help me with and thought I'd run it by you."

"OK." Willow replied. "Shoot!"

"Well, as you know, me being a vampire an' all, I don't really have an identity or anything." Spike tried to get to the point but found it a little hard, not knowing what the witch's reaction would be. "And there are some things you need an identity to do, vote for example, or to get a drivers license..."

"Get married." Willow cut in, smiling.

"How'd you guess?" Spike asked, blushing a little.

"Oh, you've got the regular guy trademarks when it comes to attachment." Willow responded. "Beating around the bush about it, blushing, and don't think I missed that. Can vampires blush, by the way? Never mind. Besides, you're from the Victorian era, it would only be 'appropriate'..." She airquoted. "...for you two to get married in a situation like this."

"Right." Spike agreed. "That's not the only reason, though." He continued.

"You love her?"

"With all my heart. Even if it isn't beating." Spike chuckled a little. "See, the reason I came to you, I realize we can't do this the regular way, because, one, it wouldn't be very legal, and two, me and churches? Not such a good combination. But there are other ways, right?"

Willow nodded.

"Sure. You could do a handfasting ceremony, it's like a wedding but with a Wiccan High Priestess instead of a regular priest. A friend of mine and Tara's, Serena, is a Priestess in a coven in LA, I'm sure she would love to perform the ceremony." Willow suggested. "It wouldn't be legal union in the strictest sense, but..."

"An emotional?" Spike interrupted and Willow nodded. "I just feel I need to do something to show Buffy how much she and the baby means to me, y'know?" He put his hands deep in his pockets and looked at the side walk.

"I get it." Willow said, smiling a little. "I know you're not the Big Bad you try to make people believe you are."

"You better not tell anyone else that." Spike said in a not-so-menacing voice and Willow chuckled.

"You're secret's safe with me."

xxxxx

Spike paced the waiting area at Sunnydale Airport nervously. The Watcher's plane would be landing in less than ten minutes, and he had yet to figure out how to ask him.

"Rupes, mate, how'd you feel about giving your practically-daughter away to your worst enemy?" Spike huffed at that idea, and looked up as a voice announced that the plane from LA had landed. "OK, here goes." He said to himself and walked over to where the passengers would soon be departing.

Spike had volunteered to pick Giles up from the airport so that he could talk to him in private before they got to the house. After the conversation he'd had with Willow the previous day the idea of some sort of a ceremony had grown on him, but he wanted to make sure there were no obstacles before actually asking Buffy to marry him. He knew, deep down, that Buffy would want it but would never admit it, and he wanted to give her what she wanted. He also knew that she would want Giles, who had taken the place of her father over the years, to give her away. So here he was.

The first passengers came through the doors, and Spike took an unneeded breath as he spotted Giles. The former Watcher looked around, obviously expecting someone else, and his eyes stopped on Spike. Spike could see a frown form on the other man's face, and growled inwardly.

"Spike." Giles said cautiously as he made his way over. "I didn't quite expect to find you here."

"I bet you weren't" Spike replied. "To be honest, a few months ago I wouldn't have expected myself to be here, either. But a lot's happened."

"I am well aware of that." Giles responded. "Now, what do you want?"

"Easy there, Watcher." Spike raised his hands in a surrendering motion. "Who says I want something?"

"I know you, Spike." Giles took his glasses of and started to clean them. "No matter how much I wish I didn't." He added under his breath. Spike decided to let it slip.

"OK, so maybe I do want something." He admitted.

"That's what I thought." Giles said as he put his glasses back on.

"Before you get all weird, just hear me out, OK?" Spike pleaded. Giles gave him an evaluating look before nodding. "This is not for me, at least not completely. It's for Buffy. And for the baby."

"I'm listening."

"I can't give Buffy a normal life, we both know that. But I would like to give her something that at least resembles normal." Spike took a deep breath before continuing. "The baby will be here in little over a month, and I know Buffy would want to make everything... legal, before he or she gets here, if you follow me."

"You want to... marry her, is that what you're saying?" Giles asked in disbelief.

"Yes. Well, not exactly. I know that would be impossible, vampire here. But I talked to Red and she said that there's a Wiccan ceremony that is close to the real thing. It wouldn't be legal, but it would be something."

Giles saw the honesty and emotion in the vampire's eyes, and he soften a little.

"And you are telling me this because?" He asked.

"Well, I know that Buffy sees you as her dad, and I just wanted to ask if you would be willing to give her away?" Spike asked, hopefully.

"Well, I... don't know what to say... this is all..."

"Rambling, Rupes." Spike cut him off.

"Yes, sorry." Giles pulled himself together. "I should probably talk to Buffy about this first, but if she has nothing to object, I would love to have the honors."

"That's another thing." Spike said. "Buffy doesn't know about this yet. I want to get everything ready so she doesn't have to worry about anything."

xxxxx

Spike raised his hand to the door for the fifth time, and for the fifth time he lowered it again. He had been standing outside the Whelp's apartment for ten minutes now, not able to get up the courage to actually knock.

_What are you so worried about, mate?_ he thought to himself. _Worst that'll happen is he'll say no._

Somewhat encouraged by that thought, Spike finally knocked on the door. He waited for a moment before knocking again. Maybe the Whelp was asleep? It was eleven thirty, after all. Spike hadn't been able to get out until after Buffy went to sleep.

"Alright, I'm coming I'm coming." Spike heard through the door before it was swung open to reveal an obviously newly awake Xander. "Holy Mother of God, Spike, it's almost midnight, I need to be at the site in seven hours, what are you doing here?"

Spike hadn't seen Xander a lot since he came back, but according to Buffy the other man had said he was fine with their relationship. Spike wasn't so sure, however.

"Got a favor to ask if you don't mind." Spike started. Xander yawned before he turned and walked further into the apartment.

"If I'm gonna listen to you yapping I'm gonna need coffee." He called over his shoulder. "Come on, I'll make some for you too. Unless you prefer blood, in which case I've got nothing."

Spike took a tentative step over the threshold, confused by Xander's behavior. Xander had taken a seat by the kitchen table and motioned for Spike to join him.

"So, what's so important it can't wait til a more day part of the day?" Xander asked, handing Spike a cup of coffee. "Or, I guess this is day for you."

"Had to wait til Buffy went to sleep, don't want her knowing." Spike replied.

"Is Spikey feeling a little whipped?" Xander chuckled. "I don't blame you, mate, she had me going to the store for the weirdest stuff at all times of the night before you got back."

"That's not the problem." Spike said and Xander raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "I was wondering... the thing is, I'm thinking about... I just wanted to know if you would consider..."

"Spit it out already." Xander exclaimed. "I need my beauty sleep, y'know."

"I'm gonna ask Buffy to marry me and I wanted to know if you would be the best man." Spike said as fast as he could. Xander just stared at him for a moment.

"Seriously?" He asked and Spike nodded.

"It won't be a wedding in the traditional sense; Red knows this Wiccan Priestess woman who can perform handfasting ceremonies, so it won't really be legal or anything, just..."

"I would love to." Xander cut him off.

"Really?" Spike asked in disbelief. He hadn't thought it would be this easy.

"Sure. I mean, we're not the best of friends, but I've come to terms with the fact that if I want to be in Buffy's and my future godson or daughter's life, I will have to learn to live with you." Xander explained. "Besides, you're not that horrible, when you get to know you."

"Well, thanks ever so." Spike said in a sarcastic voice and Xander gave him a warning look.

"Hey, don't push it!"

xxxxx

"Hey, Bit." Spike entered the living room where Dawn was sitting on the couch. They were alone in the house since Willow and Tara had convinced Buffy to go to the movies with them. Of course, Spike had put them up to it.

"Hey Spike." Dawn replied, not taking her eyes off whatever was going on on the screen.

"Need your help with something." Spike continued.

"What's up?" Dawn asked, tearing her eyes away from the TV to look at him.

"Well, we sort of need to leave the house for it to work, Bit." Spike took Dawn's jacket off the hook next to the door and threw it to her. She grabbed it and turned the TV off before getting off the couch.

"OK. You gonna be all cryptic about it?" She asked. Realising what word she had used, she giggled a little.

"We're going on a little shopping trip." Spike revealed as he walked ahead of Dawn to his DeSoto which was parked on the driveway.

xxxxx

"OK, now you wanna tell me what is going on?" Dawn asked as Spike lead her into a jeweler's store at the Sunnydale mall. Spike had remained practically silent since they left the house and Dawn was getting curious.

"Need you to help me pick out something for your sister." Spike replied, and looked around the store.

"Oh, OK. What you wanna get her?" Dawn asked, walking up to a display case with ear rings in silver. "A pair of ear rings? A bracelet?"

"Nope." Spike said as he spotted the owner of the store and walked up to him. "I'd like to see your engagement rings." He heard Dawn squeel behind him.

"Oh my God!" She declared. "You're gonna ask her to marry you?" Spike nodded and was attacked by a giggling teenager. "This is so great! Now we'll be family for real!" Spike carefully extracted himself from Dawn, and held her at arms length.

"I am only telling you this because I trust you to keep a secret, got that?" He asked, and Dawn nodded. "Good. I am going to ask Buffy to marry me, and I don't want you telling her about it."

"But you're gonna do it soon, right?" Dawn asked eagerly.

"Yeah, tomorrow. I know she would want to do it before the baby's born, so we should probably do it as soon as possible." Spike replied.

"It's still five weeks left, you've got time." Dawn pointed out.

"I know, but still. Better safe than sorry, y'know. Besides, Red talked to her friend, who will preform the ceremony, and we planned it for next weekend. If she says yes, that is." Spike said, uncertainty in his voice. Dawn put an arm around his shoulder in an encouraging motion. "Now help me pick out a ring that'll blow her away."

xxxxx

Buffy quietly closed the front door behind her. She had worked an extra shift at the Palace – again – and everyone were probably asleep. She took her jacket off and paused for a moment to rub her aching back. _Only a couple of weeks left,_ she thought to herself as she headed for the stairs. She got upstairs and headed for her and Spike's bedroom, but paused, hand on the door knob. There was a note on the door that said 'In the garden'.

"In the garden..." Buffy muttered as she went back downstairs. "Now what is he up to?"

She walked through the living room, into the kitchen and out through the back door. And stopped dead in her tracks.

The entire garden was decorated with candles and roses. In the middle of the small lawn was a table, set for dinner with more roses in a vase and a couple of candles as well. Spike was sitting in one of the two chairs, standing when he saw her.

"What... what is all this?" Buffy asked in amazement and looked around.

"Just wanted to make tonight special, love." Spike replied as he came up to her. He took one of her hands in his and lead her to the table, even pulling out her chair for her.

"I'm impressed." Buffy said as she sat down. "I never knew you were such a gentleman."

"Tell anyone, and I'll have to kill you." Spike joked and Buffy giggled. Spike walked around the table and sat back down before he lifted the cover from the plates to reveal their dinner; steak and french fries, Buffy favorite for the past month.

"Ooh, my favorite." Buffy said before giving Spike a suspicious look. "What did you do?"

"Does a man have to have a reason to pamper his girl?" Spike asked, sounding as innocent as he possibly could. Buffy observed him through narrowed eyes before deciding she bought his explanation.

"OK, I'll let it go." She said. "For now." Spike chuckled.

They ate their dinner in a comfortable silence, every now and then making little comments about different things. As they both finished their food, Spike took their plates and went in to get the dessert. He got back to the table and put a covered plate in front of Buffy before sitting back down with his own plate. Buffy gave him a curious look, and he raised his eye brows in an encouraging look motioning at the plate cover. Buffy slowly removed it, as if she was afraid of what she might find. When she saw what he had been hiding, she let out a shriek.

"Was that good or bad?" Spike asked nervously. Buffy responded by jumping, or as much jumping as an eight-months-pregnant woman can do, off her chair and throwing herself into his arms.

"I love it!" She declared. "Is it what I think it is?" Spike nodded.

"If you want it to be." He said.

"Of course I want it to be! Now, put it on!" Buffy demanded, holding out her left hand. Spike took the ring that had been on the chocolate mousse and kneeled on the grass, taking Buffy's hand.

"Buffy Anne Summers. I love you with all my heart and soul, and I would be honored if you would agree to be my wife." She nodded, tears filling her eyes, and he slipped the ring on her finger before standing again and giving her a kiss. "I love you."

"Love you too." She responded and nuzzled her face up against his neck, sighing in contentment. "But how are we gonna do the whole marriage thing? You don't have an identity, right? And last time I checked, that was sorta necessary."

"I've got it all planned, love, just trust me."


	4. 4 I do

**4 I do**

"So, what is this master plan of yours?" Buffy asked a few hours later, as they laid in bed.

"Well, I know we can't have a traditional wedding or marriage, but there are other things we can do." Spike said and Buffy raised a questioning eye brow. "Talked to Red, she said there's a Wiccan ceremony called handfasting, that is like a wedding ceremony. It's performed by a High Priestess, and it just happened she and Glinda knew one. They talked to her and she agreed to come here next weekend."

"Next weekend!" Buffy sat up. "We're gonna do it now?"

"We can move it if you want, love, no problem." Spike reassured her. "I just thought you'd want to do it before the baby gets here, make it all good and proper, y'know."

"Oh." Buffy laid back down and was quiet while considering what he had said. "I guess that would be good. It's just, when I imagined my wedding when I was little, being eight months pregnant wasn't really a part of it."

"I know, baby." Spike gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Things don't always turn out the way you expect them to."

xxxxx

"I am never going to find a dress that doesn't make me look like a hippo!" Buffy declared after the fifth store. She, Willow, Tara, Dawn and Anya had been at the Sunnydale mall for over three hours now, and they were all getting bored. The other girls had already found their dresses, and only Buffy's was left. She, however, had discarded every dress they had looked at so far, claiming they made her look fat.

Buffy had decided not to go with the traditional wedding clothes. After all, it wasn't a traditional wedding. Buffy had, however, decided that she wanted them all to match, so they had decided on various shades of purple. Other than that, Dawn, Willow, Tara and Anya, who were going to be bridesmaids, had been allowed to pick out their own dresses.

"I need to sit down for a while." Buffy announced. "Let's get something to eat."

They made their way to the food court and got what they wanted to eat before finding a table. Buffy sighed as she sat down and Willow gave her a concerned look.

"You OK, sweetie?" The red head asked, and Buffy nodded.

"Just my back, as usual." She said. "It's killing me."

"Are you using the electric pad that we got you?" Tara asked and Buffy nodded.

"Yeah, it's great. But, you know, not so portable."

Dawn, who was sitting next to Buffy, used her right hand to rub her sister's lower back. Buffy moaned at the feeling.

"That feel better?" Dawn asked.

"Much much better." Buffy replied, eyes closed. "Thank you."

"Is everything planned for Saturday?" Anya asked before she bit into her hamburger.

"Pretty much." Buffy answered her. "Spike's got everything he needs, he and Xander, believe it or not, got suites the other day. I was surprised they didn't kill each other."

"Xander has been really... OK with all of this, hasn't he?" Willow said.

"I think he's finally realized that if he wants to stay in your life he's going to have to accept that Spike is a part of it too." Anya said, and Buffy gave her a suspicious look.

"You sure about that?" She asked. "Cause that doesn't sound like the Xander we all know and love."

"Well, he hasn't said anything really, it's more a feeling I get." Anya replied. "Besides, he hasn't called Spike Dead Boy or Captain Peroxide in weeks."

xxxxx

"OK, break over, time to go!" Buffy announced and used the table for support as she stood up, the others following her lead. "We've got a dress to find."

They went through another thee stores before Buffy finally found a dress she liked. Then they started looking for shoes and accessories and before they went home, they stopped at a beauty parlor to make appointments for the following Saturday. It was past nine P.M. when Willow dropped Buffy and Dawn off at Revello Drive, and they had left at three.

"Find everything you were looking for?" Spike asked as he met them in the hallway. He took the bags from Buffy and she followed him into the living room.

"Yep, found it all." Buffy replied.

"After about a million stores." Dawn added as she passed them on her way to the kitchen.

"Oh, come on, Dawnie, it wasn't that bad." Buffy called after her and Spike gave her a demanding look. "OK, it was that bad." Buffy admitted and sat down on the couch. "It's not my fault I look like a whale. Nothing looks good on me." She whined.

"You do not look like a whale." Spike said and sat down beside her. "You have never been more beautiful."

"You only say that because it's your fault I look like this in the first place." Buffy countered.

"No, I said it because I meant it. Look at me." He turned Buffy's face so he could look into her eyes. "You are beautiful. Yes, I may be a little partial, but that's not the point. I would love you if you weighed ten pounds, and I would love you if you weighed a thousand, OK?"

Buffy nodded, tears filling her eyes. She wiped them away, annoyed.

"I am so emotional right now, I'm sorry." She leaned her head against Spike's shoulder.

"You have every right to be." Spike said, placing a kiss on top of Buffy's head.

"Damn right I do."

xxxxx

Spike looked around the garden. Willow, Tara, Anya and Dawn had spent almost the entire afternoon decorating, and now, as the sun had set, it was beautiful. There were lanterns in the trees and in one end of the garden an alter had been set up. Serena, the high priestess, was standing behind it arranging candles and flowers. From the back porch, a long, white piece of silk had been laid on the ground, leading up to the altar and acting as an aisle, lined with dozens of candles.

"Getting cold feet?" He heard Xander come up behind him.

"No way." He replied and turned to face the other man.

"Good. Cause this is the real thing. No backing out now."

"Could never do that." Spike said, his voice deep with emotion. Xander gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Know the feeling, man." He said with a longing look. "Know the feeling." Spike gave Xander an evaluating look. He knew that Xander and Anya had been talking a lot lately, and Dawn seemed to think they were getting back together. Time would tell.

"OK, they're ready." Giles said, peaking out through the back door before closing it again. The girls had been helping Buffy get ready inside, and Giles had gone in to check how it was going a few minutes ago.

"Here goes." Xander said before leading the way up to the altar, Spike following a few steps behind. At the altar, they both turned to face the back door, waiting for their girls to come out.

The back door opened and Anya came out, dressed in a strapless, dark purple dress that came to her knees. She was followed by Tara, in a dress of a paler shade of purple. The dress was full length and had long sleeves decorated with small flowers. After Tara came Willow, her red hair standing out against the almost white dress she wore. Then came Dawn, who was wearing a three-quarter length dress in a shimmering fabric. The four girls stopped at the bottom of the porch stairs to wait for Buffy and Giles.

When they exited the house, Spike's mouth dropped open and his eyes went wide. Buffy was absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing a dress made up of two layers, the bottom layer a light purple, and the top layer darker, in a see through material. It split in two right under her chest, and billowed behind her as she walked. Her hair was decorated with small purple flowers, and she looked like a vision.

Spike snapped out of his trance as Buffy and Giles stopped next to him at the altar. Buffy smiled at him and he returned the smile before they both turned to face the high priestess.

"We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of Buffy and Spike." Serena smiled at the couple before continuing. "There are many things to say about marriage. Much wisdom concerning the joining together of two souls, has come our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union, more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope to leave with them the knowledge of love and its strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom that comes with time. The law of life is love unto all beings. Without love, life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to Life, posterior to Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of Earth. If we learn no more in life, let it be this."

Spike snuck a peak on Buffy as the priestess talked, her words having a different meaning to him. Buffy was his life, his redemption. She had made him into the man he was today, because she had treated him like a man.

"Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and reflection. As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its downs, its trials and its triumphs. With full understanding of this, Spike and Buffy have come here today to be joined as one in marriage. Others would ask, at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but, as a woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken, I ask simply if she comes of her own will and if she has her family's blessing." Serena turned to Buffy. "Buffy, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?"

"Yes, it is true." Buffy said.

"With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you?" Serena asked.

"She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all of her family's blessings." Giles said, a proud look on his face. They had all talked to Serena before the ceremony, explaining the situation. She had said that it didn't really matter if Giles wasn't Buffy's father, and that if Buffy wanted him to, he could say something else. But Buffy had insisted.

"Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am about to say." Spike took Buffy's hand in his, and their eyes locked together.

"Above you are the stars, below you are the stones, as time doth pass, remember... Like a stone should your love be firm like a star should your love be constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your marriage, let the strength of your wills bind you together, let the power of love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you inseparable. Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be understanding. Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they will pass quickly. Be free in giving affection and warmth. Have no fear and let not the ways of the unenlightened give you unease, for God is with you always."

Serena turned to Spike.

"Spike, I have not the right to bind thee to Buffy, only you have this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand."

"It is my wish." Spike said and put his ring in Buffy's left hand

"Buffy, if it be your wish for Spike to be bound to you, place the ring on his finger." Buffy placed the ring Spike had just given her on his finger.

"Buffy I have not the right to bind thee to Spike only you have this right. If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in his hand."

"It is my wish." Buffy gave Spike her ring.

"Spike, if it be your wish for Buffy to be bound to you, place the ring on her finger." Spike placed the ring on Buffy's finger.

"Spike, repeat after me." Serena said. "I, Spike, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee Buffy to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one."

"I, Spike, in the name of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, Buffy to my hand, my heart, and my spirit, to be my chosen one." Spike repeated, and almost chuckled at the words.

"To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself." Serena continued, and Spike repeated after her.

"To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself." Serena turned to Buffy.

"I Buffy, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, Spike to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one."

"I Buffy, in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within my heart, take thee, Spike to my hand, my heart, and my spirit to be my chosen one." Buffy looked deep in Spike's eyes as she repeated the words.

"To desire and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself."

"To desire and be desired by thee, to possess thee, and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity of my love for thee. I promise to love thee wholly and completely without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again. I shall not seek to change thee in any way. I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy ways as I respect myself." Buffy repeated after the high priestess.

Serena took a chalice from the altar.

"May you drink your fill from the cup of love." She said and handed the cup to Spike.

Spike took the cup and held it while Buffy took a sip from it before handing it to Buffy so she could do the same. She then handed the chalice back to Serena who put it down on the altar again.

"By the power vested in me by God and the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and wife. May your love so endure that its flame remains a guiding light unto you."

**AN: The handfasting ceremony is taken from the website ****http/ it does not belong to me.**


	5. 5 A new life

**5 A new life**

"Buffy, where the hell have you been?" Spike practically yelled as Buffy closed the front door.

"Geeze, relax, I just took an extra shift, that's all." Buffy put her coat on a hook in the hallway and walked past Spike into the living room where she dropped on the couch, the long shift getting to her.

"An extra shift?" Spike asked, following her into the living room. "You shouldn't be working at all, let alone double shifts at that horrible place!"

"Oh, come on. I'm pregnant, not an invalid." Buffy countered.

"Exactly. You're eight months pregnant, for Christ's sake." Spike was pacing the living room while he was talking, and his moving were starting to make Buffy dizzy. Even more dizzy than she had been the entire day.

"I'm not due for another three weeks, and doctor Harrison says that most first time mothers go a little over time, so it's no big deal." Buffy closed her eyes, trying to block out the dizziness. "Would you please stop walking around?"

Spike immediately stopped, and when he noticed Buffy's pale face, he rushed to her side.

"Are you OK, is something wrong?" He asked nervously. Buffy opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"Everything's fine. I've just been a little dizzy today, nothing to worry about." Buffy pushed herself off the couch, but before she could stand up completely, a wave of pain shot through her and she doubled over, grasping the table for support.

"What's wrong?" Spike asked, putting an arm around Buffy's waist. The pain had subsided and Buffy straightened.

"I think it was one of those false labor pains doctor Harrison was talking about." Buffy said, not completely convinced.

"Are you sure? What if it's the real thing?"

"I don't think so. And, besides, even if it is, we have at least a couple of hours before it gets serious." Buffy headed for the stairs and looked over her shoulder. "I'm gonna go to bed. You coming?"

They went upstairs and got into bed, and Buffy turned on the TV they had gotten for the bedroom. She found an episode of Seinfeld and they watched for about half an hour before turning it off.

Spike switched off the lights and turned a little so he could put his arm around Buffy, and she settled against him. A few minutes later he felt Buffy's body tense, and he reached behind him to turn on the lights again.

"What's wrong?" Spike felt a chill through his body at Buffy's scared expression.

"It was the pain again, like downstairs before..." She gave him a nervous look. "I think I might be..."

"In labor?" He cut her off and she nodded. Spike immediately jumped out off the bed, running to the phone.

"Red?" He said into the phone as the line was picked up.

"Spike, is that you?" Willow's sleepy voice came over the line.

"Yeah, listen, we think it's the baby, Buffy said that... and then... and I think you should come here..."

"OK, Spike put Buffy on, I don't understand what you're saying." Willow interrupted him and he gave the phone to Buffy, who was sitting in the bed

"Willow? Hi." She said.

"Hey, Buffy, I didn't really understand everything Spike said, but I did catch something about the baby. Are you in labor?"

"I think so. I mean, I'm not sure, but I might be."

"Did you have contractions?" Willow asked over the line.

"Well, I don't know. I don't know what it feels like, but I got hit by this pain in my back and stomach." Buffy replied.

"OK, when was this?"

"One was just a couple of minutes ago and the first I guess about half an hour earlier."

"OK. It might be false labor, but me and Tara will come over just in case." Willow said. "Even if you're really in labour, it'll be hours before anything happens, so you should probably try to go to sleep, OK sweetie?"

"OK, Wills. See you soon." Buffy said before hanging up.

"What'd she say?" Spike asked anxiously.

"She said that it might be false labor, but she and Tara are coming over anyway." Buffy replied, lying back down in the bed. "She also said that I should try to sleep. Join me, please."

Spike obeyed her and they lay in silence. Ten minutes later, they heard the front door open and close, and steps up the stairs before Willow knocked on the half open door.

"Hey." She said, walking into the room. "Any more contractions?" Buffy shook her head and Willow continued. "I'm just gonna leave some stuff up here, and Tara and I will be on the couch downstairs, OK? Call us if anything happens."

xxxxx

Buffy managed to fall asleep, but Spike stayed awake beside her. Every now and then, her body tensed and he could sense that she was in pain, but it didn't wake her. After a couple of hours, Spike was too nervous to stay in bed so he went downstairs to get some blood. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he heard a soft call from the living room.

"Hey." Spike saw Willow awake and went into the room.

"Hey. You can't sleep either?" He asked, sitting down on the table that had been moved to make room for the sofa bed.

"Nah, too excited." Willow replied and Spike nodded.

"Know what you mean. Another word that comes to mind is 'terrified'." Willow chuckled a little at his words.

"Yeah, it's a little scary too, I guess." She agreed.

"A little? I'm a vampire, this wasn't suppose to happen. Definitely not in the plans."

"Do you regret coming back?" Willow asked, a concerned look on her face.

"God no. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Spike replied. "But that doesn't mean I can't be scared to death, does it?" Willow shook her head.

"No, it doesn't. I know Buffy's been pretty scared, too, even if she hasn't talked about it." She said.

"Really?" Spike asked and Willow nodded. "She seems like she knows exactly what she's doing."

"Well, she has had a little more time to get used to the whole thing." Willow replied.

"Yeah, I guess you're..." Spike was interrupted by a painful cry from the second floor, and before Willow had time to react, Spike was flying up the stairs and into his and Buffy's bedroom. Buffy was sitting up in the bed, clutching her stomach.

"What's wrong?" Spike rushed to her side and Buffy leaned against him, breathing heavily.

"I think my water just broke." She said in a small voice. "And the pain's back, only worse."

"It's OK, baby, everything's gonna be fine." Spike said in what he hoped was a comforting voice, when inside he was panicking himself. At that moment, Willow and Tara came into the room.

"Is everything OK?" Willow asked, a concerned look on her face.

"I think my water broke." Buffy said in a slightly pained voice.

"OK, let's see how you're doing, sweetie." Willow said. She and Tara arranged some pillows and Buffy leaned back against them, Spike taking his place beside her.

"I'm gonna take your pajama pants off, OK sweetie." Tara said and Buffy nodded. "Willow, wanna hand me a blanket?" Willow gave Tara a blanket from the closet, and she arranged it around Buffy's legs and waist, so she could have some privacy.

"What's going on?" The question came from a very sleepy Dawn, who was standing in the doorway.

"Everything's fine, Dawnie, why don't you go back to bed?" Willow said.

"OK." Dawn turned to go back to her room, but stopped as she heard Buffy cry out as another contraction hit. Dawn was suddenly fully awake.

"Is the baby coming?" She asked and Willow nodded.

"Yeah, sweetie. Could you go call Giles and Xander, I think they want to be here." Dawn nodded and disappeared into her room.

"OK, you're moving along pretty fast, but I think we have about an hour or so before anything happens." Tara said after examining Buffy.

"How much?" Willow asked.

"About six centimeters." Tara responded and Spike gave them both a confused look.

"What's that mean?"

"She's about six centimeters dilated, and she needs to be ten before the active labor will start." Willow explained.

"OK, so what do we do?" Spike asked.

"We wait." Tara replied. "That's all we can do. I'm gonna check the baby's heartbeat too, just to be sure."

"It's fine." Spike said and Willow and Tara gave him weird looks. "Vampire hearing, remember? I can hear it. It sounds normal."

"Good. Let us know if it changes, OK?" Willow said.

"Did I miss something?" Dawn asked in a breathless voice as she ran back into the room. Willow laughed a little.

"No, you didn't miss a thing. It'll probably be a while before anything happens. Why don't we give these two some privacy." Willow suggested, giving Tara and Dawn a meaning look. "Just call us if something happens, and we'll check on you in about half an hour, OK?" She said to Buffy and Spike before they left the room, closing the door behind them.

"You OK, baby?" Spike asked as the door closed. Buffy nodded a little.

"I'm fine. Hurts a lot more than I thought, though. I mean, with me being a Slayer and all, didn't think it'd be so bad."

"Guess there are some things you just have to do the old fashioned way, huh?" Spike said, tucking a strand of Buffy's hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, I guess." Buffy shrugged. "At least it's in the goes part right now... OK, I shouldn't have said that." She took a firm grip on Spike's hand as the pain rolled through her body.

"Better?" Spike asked as she released his hand. Buffy nodded. Spike left the bed and got the electric pad Willow and Tara had brought over and plugged it in before returning to the bed.

"Come here." He got some pillows together and pulled Buffy towards him. She rolled over onto her side and leaned her cheek on his chest, and he placed the heating pad on her lower back. "Feel good?"

"Mmm hmm." Buffy replied, eyes closed. Spike began stroking her hair with his free hand.

"I'm here, OK? Everything's gonna be fine." He mumbled as they both drifted into a light sleep.

xxxxx

"Hey, guys. Everything OK?" Willow asked as she and Tara entered the room a little while later. Buffy was still lying on her side, her head on Spike's chest, but they were both awake. "How are the contractions?"

"Painful." Buffy responded.

"Well, that's a given." Willow replied. "How far apart?"

"Last one was about three minutes." Spike said, checking his watch.

"You wanna lie on your back for me, Buffy?" Tara asked and Buffy obeyed. "I'm gonna check how we're doing."

"We brought you some tea for the pain." Willow said, handing Buffy a cup. "It's natural, been used in these situations for centuries." Buffy took a few sips of the beverage.

"Doesn't taste very good." She said, wrinkling her nose before she finished off the rest of the tea.

"I think we're almost there." Tara said. "Nine centimeters."

"Already?" Buffy asked. "Are the others here?"

"Yeah, everyone's here." Willow said, nodding. "You want me to get them?"

Buffy nodded before she squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed Spike's hand again. He whispered soothing words to her as she endured the contraction.

"Did this one feel any different?" Tara asked as Buffy relaxed against the pillows.

"No, not really, why?" Buffy replied.

"You'll feel when it's time to push, just let me know, OK?" Tara said before heading out the door. "I'll go get the others."

"How's your breathing going?" Willow asked after Tara had left the room. "You remember everything from class?"

"Yeah, I remember it. It's just hard to use it when it's the real thing." Buffy smiled a little.

"And how's the heartbeat, everything OK?"

Spike listened for a while, then nodded.

"Sounds just like it should."

"Hey, guys, didn't think we'd miss this, did ya?" Xander asked as he entered the room along with Dawn, Anya, Giles and Tara.

"Hi, guys." Buffy smiled at her friends and family before her face once again turned into a mask of pain.

"OK, I think I know what you meant about it feeling different." She said to Tara as the pain subsided.

"You feel like you need to push?" Tara asked and Buffy nodded. "OK, just let me check." She pulled the blanket up a little. "I think it's time. Willow, wanna come down here?" Willow gave Buffy's hand a squeeze before joining Tara.

"At the next contraction, I want you to push, OK? I'll tell you when to stop." Willow said, smiling at Buffy across the bed. Buffy nodded and Spike took her hand in his to give her as much support as he could. He was feeling a little helpless, not being able to do anything about Buffy's pain. He felt her body tense before her grip on his hand tightened.

"OK, that's good, sweetie, just a little more." Willow encouraged.

"Great, Buffy, relax a little before the next one." Tara said as the contraction was over. Buffy leaned back against the pillows and breathed deeply. Spike took a wet washcloth that Anya handed him and wiped Buffy's forehead.

"How's the heartbeat?" Tara asked.

"It's fine." Spike responded after listening.

"Buffy, I need you to push a little harder this time, can you do that?" Tara asked, and Buffy nodded before the next contraction hit. She squeezed Spike's hand.

"I am so gonna stake you for this!" She mumbled between gritted teeth.

"Whatever you say, baby." Spike replied, having been warned by Willow that Buffy might say things she didn't really mean in the heat of the moment.

"Good, Buffy, just a little more..." Tara encouraged. "That's great, I can see the head."

"Spike, I think you should come down here." Willow said, looking up at the couple on the bed. "Xander, you wanna take Spike's place?" Xander came over and sat down next to Buffy, taking her hand. Giles went to the other side of the bed. Spike gave Buffy a kiss on the forehead before going down to Willow and Tara. He crouched next to them.

"Is that?" He asked in fascination. Willow smiled.

"Yep. That's your baby."

"Is everything OK?" He asked.

"So far so good." Willow responded.

"Just keep up the good work, Buffy, and it'll be over in no time." Tara encouraged as another contraction made Buffy cry out in pain as she pushed.

Spike watched, amazed, as the tiny head slipped all the way out. Then Tara took a light grip around the baby's neck and twisted the body a little, letting the shoulders free.

"OK, just one more should do it." Tara said and when the final contraction came and went, Spike watched as his son was being born.

"It's a boy!" Willow announced and everyone cheered.

Tara went into the bathroom and returned with a large bowl of water, in which she washed the baby off before she let Spike cut the cord. Then she wrapped the little boy in a soft blanket.

Spike carefully stood up, not taking his eyes of the baby, and walked up to the head of the bed where Buffy had leaned back against the pillows. He sat down next to her and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You did it." He whispered and she shook her head, taking one of the baby's hands in hers.

"No. We did it."


End file.
